The power of Palin
Sarah Palin is a lightning rod for media attention and over-analysis, for sure. And when she endorsed Fairbanks lawyer Joe Miller over incumbent U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska’s Republican primary, Palin haters sensed an opportunity to pounce — figuring a Murkowski win would let them downplay Palin’s ability to sway voters. It’ll be interesting to see reactions now that it appears Miller upset Murkowski in Tuesday’s election. With about 98 percent of the vote counted, Miller was clinging to a narrow lead over Murkowski, who was trying to win re-election to her second full term. There’s been bad blood between Palin and Murkowski since Palin beat Murkowski’s father, Frank, in the GOP gubernatorial primary in 2006. In the current campaign, Palin questioned Lisa Murkowski’s conservatism in backing Miller. No question, Murkowski was known as a moderate in Washington. If Miller’s lead holds, Palin certainly is due props — demonstrating a pull with voters worthy of respect.
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from Climate Progress:We’ve seen that every GOP Senate candidate in NH is a global warming denier. We’ve seen that Republicans across the country are embracing pro-pollution, anti-science candidates. And so it is with New Mexico, as Brad Johnson explains.
Even though New Mexico is facing a future of perpetual drought, killer heat waves, water scarcity, and wildfires, the crop of Republican candidates for major office in the state are in denial about the threat of global warming pollution.
Gubernatorial nominee Susana Martinez denies the science of manmade climate change. All three congressional candidates — Steve Pearce, oil engineer Tom Mullins, and corporate lobbyist Jon Barela — similarly believe scientists are engaged in a conspiracy to destroy our economy. Barela and Pearce are signatories of the “No Climate Tax” pledge organized by Americans for Prosperity, the front group supported by the Koch Industries brothers that fights limits on global warming pollution:
“[T]here is disagreement in the science community concerning the causes of global warming.” — Susana Martinez
“I don’t mean to be flippant about this, but only God knows where our climate is going.” — Jon Barela
“I think we ought to take a look at whatever the group is that measures all this, the IPCC, they don’t even believe the crap.” — Steve Pearce Crooked elections endangering the planet for a long time to come!!
Money talks to the fear factor in all of us.Yesterday, the New Yorker published a devastating investigative piece by Jane Mayer that exposes the Koch family’s efforts to put together the Tea Party movement and much of the modern right-wing infrastructure.Richest guy in the country!!..Oil,formaldehyde,etc